Big Idea:
Students can form opinions and use them to write a story, even about a Little Cloud.

If the weather is appropriate, take your class outside to lay down and look up at the clouds. We do this because it is fun, and it sets the stage for the story.

What do you see up in the sky, boys and girls? Does anyone see anything that they have not seen before? Do you see the clouds? Sometimes clouds will take on the shapes of things that we are familiar with. Take a few minutes and really look. Use your imagination to picture the clouds.

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Students will be composing an opinion piece about which Little Cloud shape they liked best and why. Shift number 2 states that reading, writing and speaking will be grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational. Although forms of writing are usually draw heavily from student experience and opinion, students will need to support with data from the text. The kindergarten children will need to reference the story to support their writing.

Since it is a beautiful day, and we are enjoying the clouds so much, I have brought a book outside with me. It is by our Author of the Month. If you remember his name, blow it into your hand. And release--it is Eric Carle! The book that I have for us today is called Little Cloud. In this book, you will see that Little Cloud changes shapes just like the clouds we were watching. As I read, think about which shape you liked best.

After reading: Share with a friend which cloud shape was your favorite. When we go back inside, you will be writing about which shape was your favorite, why it was your favorite and of what it reminded you.

Inside: Boys and girls join me at the rug for just a minute. I want to gather you together to give you our objective for this writing assignment: I can write about a cloud and why it is my favorite shape. I can paint a cloud picture. What? Paint a cloud picture?!? This lesson does involve painting, but first you will need to get you writing completed.

1. Write about your favorite cloud shape. What were some of the shapes we saw in our story? An airplane, a hat, a clown, a shark, etc. You will write this sentence like this: "I saw a ___________. It was my favorite shape."

2. Why was it your favorite? Who can tell me with their words why it was his/her favorite? You will need to write the next sentence like this: "I liked the _________shape because_________."

3. What did this shape remind you of? Who can tell me in their own words what the shark cloud reminded them of? What about the clown cloud? You will need to write the next sentence like this: "This cloud made me think about ______________________."

When you are finished writing, share your story with a friend. Let them be critical listeners so that they can tell you about anything that they do not understand. Fix anything that needs fixing and then bring your paper to me. I will set you up with paper and paint.

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Once the children have shared with their friends the ideas that they have written, I have them bring me their papers for review. I collect the papers and give them a piece of blue paper in exchange and ask them to write their names on the back Then I give them a squirt of white fingerpaint and a squirt of shaving cream, the two combined makes for a nice fluffy looking cloud.

In order for you to paint your pictures, you will need to write your names on the back of your paper and push up your sleeves. You will be painting with your fingers today. When I come around to you, I will have white finger paint and shaving cream in my hands. Your job is to mix the two together while you draw out a picture of your favorite cloud that you wrote about. This is the key. You cannot just draw a cloud, and you must draw a picture of what you wrote about. By mixing the paint and the shaving cream together as you paint, it will make a nice fluffy cloud texture. When the paintings are dry, I will staple your stories to the pictures and hang them in the hallway, so do your best work.

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